FAMU Rattlers Let Southern Jaguars Slip Away Late, 83-71

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Visiting Southern University rode a torrid 31-13 scoring surge in the second half to pull away to an 83-71 non-conference men’s basketball victory over Florida A&M at The Al Lawson Center Saturday evening.

Southern’s sharpshooting guard Shawn Prudhomme provided much of the spark for his Jaguars (3-3), scoring a game-high 25 points, cashing in some NBA distance three-pointers in the second half that fueled run. He finished four of seven from beyond the arc, and 9-of-14 from the floor overall.

Prudhomme’s three-pointer with 5:42 left snapped a 67-67 tie, capping an 18-9 Southern run which erased a hard-earned Rattler advantage, while vaulting Southern ahead, 70-67.

FAMU (2-7) trailed 46-41 at the break, but put on a scoring run of their own to take a 53-52 lead on a pair of free throws by Elijah Mays with 14:26 left. Marcus Barnham knocked down a three-pointer for FAMU with 14:12 left, before Derrick Dandridge’s put back with 13:59 left extended the Rattler edge to 58-52.

But the visiting Jaguars rallied while FAMU went cold down the stretch, as Southern knocked down four triples and shot 40 percent overall from the floor, while the Rattlers hit just one of 11 from beyond the arc, and 31.4 percent from the field in the second half.

In fact, Southern outscored FAMU, 13-4 over the final 5:42 to clinch the victory.

Guard Tre’lun Banks was wingman to Prudhomme Saturday, adding 10 points and nine assists for Southern, while Jared Sam had a game-high nine rebounds, with Chris Thomas adding eight boards for the Jags, who finished the night with a 52-30 rebounding edge.

FAMU had four players score in double figures, led by Derrick Dandridge with 13 points and six rebounds before he fouled out, followed by Elijah Mays with 12 points and four assists, Trey-Cary Warren with 11 points and Nasir Core with 10 points.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers will take next week off for Fall finals, then return to action on Monday, Dec. 12 at Southeastern Louisiana (7:00 p.m. Central Time), before returning home for a final December home game on Saturday, Dec. 17 against Jacksonville (Fla.) at The Lawson Center (4:00 p.m.).

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